Thursday, March 31, 2011

Sorry for falling off the blogging bandwagon the past couple of days! I really have no excuses than the ordinary “been too busy,” so I’ll just save it. Sometimes I just get in a rhythm of posting every day, and then something will happen that I miss a day and –Wham! – I fall into THAT rhythm. It’s so easy. It’s kind of like exercise…if you are consistent and do it every day then you’re good, but miss a day or two and it’s sooooo easy to keep missing.

On another note, HAPPY OPENING DAY OF BASEBALL!!!!!GO CARDS!!!!! Our St. Louis Cardinals are in action today at 3:15pm, and we are so excited to get the season going again! You know summer can’t be far away when the ‘Birds are on the diamond!

I have been trying to think of what all has been going on to tell you about, so let’s see what I have come up with:

Running. Of course.

Siteman revealed our Race for the Cure shirts this week. Everyone who registers for the race under the Siteman Cancer Center/News Channel 5 Team also gets one of these shirts.

LOVE THESE!!! They are very similar to last year’s shirt, which I think is AWESOME, because I loved last year’s shirt! Here’s Mel and I last year:

I am also SO EXCITED to report that I have had several donations to my fundraising campaign,

and I am already at $600!!! Thank you to those that have donated! And for those that haven’t…what are you waiting for?! Haha, I joke, I joke…kinda.

I have also met another Survivor this past week. Her name is Ashley and she, like Maggie, is only 23 years old. Ashley is from SE Missouri, not far from me, and she also has 2 babies at home. She has already had a double mastectomy and has another surgery scheduled for next week to remove the lymph nodes under her arm. Been there. I know I have explained this before, that there is an instant connection between breast cancer survivors, a feeling of been-there-done-that on a much deeper level. Almost every survivor I have met has expressed the feeling of being drawn to other survivors, especially those newly diagnosed, to offer help, advice, and share our strength. It is a powerful thing, not feeling like you are all alone. You can visit Ashley here and leave her some love if you’d like, and please keep her in your prayers as well.

I am heading to Tyler’s baseball game this afternoon, hoping to cheer on a Bulldog win!! (Although there are no cheerleaders in baseball…maybe there should be. Umm, or not.) But I am a loud Momma in my lawn chair anyway!

A quote I read this morning during my quiet time,

”Jesus Christ is not my security against the storms of life, but He is my perfect security in the storms. He has never promised me an easy passage, only a safe landing.”

Monday, March 28, 2011

Have you ever had one of those times when it seems like everything just went perfect?

A time when it seemed like all the stars were aligned just for you?

Well I had one of those kinds of runs this morning. Everything was perfect, yes.

It was a cool, crisp winter-blending-into-spring morning…

I had a half a cup of coffee in me – and as a side note, I have not had caffeine since September, when I gave it up and oh my goodness, it was amazing…I felt fantastic! – and my legs were feeling fresh from a couple of days off.

I had a new audiobook to listen to, and it rocked my socks off. God bless Dean Karnazes. This book is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I may listen to it again during the St. Louis Marathon in two weeks. And yes, I called today and redid my registration AGAIN, back to the FULL MARATHON.

I had my energy chews packed (these Stingers were new for me and I LOVED them!) and I had a great plan worked out so that I could lap back around my car a few times so I could grab water and Gatorade.

And this was the result:

OH YEAH!!!!!! 21 MILES, BABY!! I was uber-pumped and could not believe my time and my splits when I plugged up my Garmin.

A time of 3:06:22 and an average pace of 8:52/mi is so far beyond anything I ever thought I could do. And to think that when I started running, I could barely do 1/4 mi…I am on the most amazing runner’s high right now. My long runs for marathon training are complete. It is officially taper time.

I came home and promptly and sat in an ice bath to speed recovery and reduce inflammation. It was brutal, for the first five minutes…then my legs and feet went numb. I sat there huddled still in my UA Cold Gear and clutching my hot cup of tea, praying for the timer on my iPhone to buzz to that I could jump into my hot shower.

Brutal. And yes, that is ICE floating in my tub.

So now it is later into the evening and I am still feeling amazing! I am just now getting around to blogging because we have spent the evening at the boys’ baseball games. Tyler and the HS team (now 3-0) won their game 5-4 in an extra innings come-from-behind win, and Zachary’s Jr. High team lost their first game of the season.

I hope you have had as great of a Monday as I have. Do something you never thought you would do tomorrow. Be blessed, friends.

Needless to say, it was freezing and raining/sleeting this morning so I headed to my parents’ house to get on their treadmill for today’s run. I ran 6.5 miles of steady state on a constant 1-2% incline. It took me almost an hour then I headed home to get cleaned up and start the day. Both boys are supposed to have baseball games today, but seeing as how it is still raining, I doubt that it is going to happen. But yesterday’s game was GREAT! We won 12-1, so Bulldog baseball is 2-0 to start the season!! Way to go, boys! I LOVE that it is time for baseball!!

Speaking of baseball… Have you voted for me lately to be the honorary Bat Girl for my Cardinals on Mother’s Day?? You can vote as many times as you want until April 14! I would appreciate it SOOO much!!

We have a busy and fun weekend starting with our last Upwards games tomorrow morning, followed by a trip to STL [with no kids! Thanks Mom & Dad!!!]!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

All week it has been beyond gorgeous weather here, and just as they forecasted, today the temps are in the low 40s and completely overcast sky. Crazy Midwest weather.

BUT the cooler temps did amazing things for my run this morning:

Hello negative split! I am willing to bet that this is my fastest 10-mile time ev-errrr. And an 8:22 pace? Who am I?? It felt great this morning, steady and solid. And my pace graph shows it:

Other than my two almost stops, the first one was when I was turning around at the top of a hill and the second when the hubby called me, I maintained an even pace today. And I felt great.

I downloaded some Jillian Michaels free podcasts on iTunes the other day so that is what I have been listening to. I really liked it…not for every run of course, but just as a change-it-up thing from the music. Something different. I like it.

I am catching up on laundry today, then Bulldog baseball this afternoon! And I am going to go see Tiff today, too! She is recovering nicely from her surgery last week, but I am thinking she is going a little stir crazy since she was thinking about cleaning out closets yesterday. Yikes! Must intervene.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Whoa, Momma! I thought for a teensy split second that my life was going to get a little less crazy post-basketball season, but I was off. Way, way off.

But it’s all good.

High school baseball season has now officially begun with last night’s big win over Doniphan 7-5!! We have not beaten Doniphan in baseball since 1993…way to go Bulldogs! There is another game tomorrow and then both Jr. High AND HS have games on Friday night. Thankfully for parents like us who have a son on each team, the games are at the same place. Whew!

I have also continued to add on to my mileage this week, doing 8 yesterday and 7 today.

I am enjoying this lovely running weather, but I guess tomorrow some chilly air is going to return.

Oh well, at least we are not in the northeast where they are getting dumped with snow yet again! Sorry guys!

Even though I did not post here yesterday, I DID manage to write some things and be productive. I got my fundraising page set up for:

Yay!!! The St. Louis Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure [ahem, the largest in the WORLD!!] is set for June 11 and my family is registered and we have hotel reservations and all! Can you tell I am ready?! So yesterday I set up my fundraising page which starts out like this:

I have set a personal goal to raise $2000 in honor of my 2nd year of being a SURVIVOR. I am hoping to reach my goal and help other women diagnosed with breast cancer and to continue to fight for a cure! If you are interested in donating, it is for an amazing cause and I would be so thankful for each and every dollar.

I am going to keep on truckin’ ahead with my to-do list. Church tonight, mega-loads of laundry (ugh), baseball games, season finale of Upwards this weekend, and a trip to the Lou is in my future!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Our weekend was full of all kinds of good stuff such as hanging out with friends, Dusty and Maggie. We always have such a good time with you guys…love y’all!

We also had Upward on Saturday where my girls displayed their sign that we made at our last practice! They are so talented, aren’t they? They have learned so much since their first game, it is hard to believe that this coming Saturday is the last one for the season.

Amidst the crazy weekend, I also had plans for a long run. Yeah right. I figured out before long that it just was not going to happen yesterday. After church both boys had to be at baseball practices at different times, and the hubby was working so I delayed my run until today so I could be head chauffer and such. It actually worked out for the better…and I am not a big fan of afternoon long runs anyway, I never seem to do as well.

So this morning it was on. I was a little disconcerted when I was watching the local weather at 530am to see that it was already close to 60 degrees, and the high for the day was 80! Whoa! Regardless, it was a beautiful, sunshiny forecast so I was excited.

The plan: Run as close to 20 miles as I could get without dying (always important).

It felt GREAT as I started out! I was checking off the early miles and feeling great! But once the sun was fully overhead and it started to warm up outside, I slowed down and was sweating buckets. I had mixed a Vega packet in my water before I left and I was wishing around mile 10 that it wasn’t 2 miles away in my car. But I kept pushing and made it, here are the splits, you can really tell when I started to need that water!

So it was not quite the distance I had wanted, nor the time, but sometimes you just have to do what you can do! And I am pretty pumped about 15.5 WARM miles!

I love this BondiBand! I wear it when I’m feeling especially spunky heehee

I see buds starting to pop out on the trees, it is sure looking like Spring around here! I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

MY BREAST CANCER JOURNEY

Hey! I'm Erica, a 34-year-young stay-at-home mom of 3 wonderful, active children and a breast cancer SURVIVOR. My husband, Jack, is still my high school sweetheart and we have been married for 17 years. I live in a tiny town in Missouri, taking care of my family and soaking up every minute in every day. I am a lover of Jesus, running, coffee, girl-time, positivity, dancing, fruits & vegetables, shopping trips, and sports. I begin each day with the intention on pleasing the Lord and because of His amazing grace, at the end of the day, He loves me anyway. So on my blog you will be seeing my 3 favorite little people (and my favorite big-guy!), my hopes, my dreams, and my prayers. Sometimes it gets a little crazy around here, but if you are up for keeping up with a busy mom, let's go!

You can contact me by email at: jegriffin @ centurytel . net

Ah, Sovereign LORD,You are my hope, the Lord of my life. I wait on you and move cautiously in my decisions. I'm not ashamed to trust in Your guidance, Lord. Instead, I feel thankful for the encouragement and surety You give me. As I trust in You, I'm filled with peace. Throughout the day, my thoughts often turn to You for direction and strength. In quiet confidence I find strength only You can give. You, dear Father, are my Rock and my Defender; I shall not fear. I know in whom I believe and I'm persuaded You keep me close to You day by day. I look to You, I doubt not in Your unfailing love for me. Thank You. In Jesus' name, Amen.-Anita Corrine Donihue